Make-A-Thon wins a Sustainability Fund grant

A second NCSU Libraries project has been awarded a Sustainability Fund grant for the 2016-2017 school year. An award of $8,000 was given toward the second annual Make-A-Thon, a student innovation challenge hosted collaboratively by the NCSU Libraries, the Engineering Village, Women in Science and Engineering, EcoVillage, the Albright Entrepreneurs Village, and the University Sustainability Office.

Last February's Make-A-Thon event proved to be a successful debut. Eleven student teams worked in makerspaces in the NCSU Libraries and the Entrepreneurship Initiative’s Garage to design, prototype, and pitch technology-based solutions for campus sustainability in dorms, classrooms, and dining halls. After only 45 hours of actual work time, a panel of community and industry sustainability experts chose winning projects in the categories of energy, water, and waste. Excited to see the event expand in year two, Emerging Technology Services Librarian Adam Rogers is the Libraries’ point person for the project.

Generated by a $2.00/semester student fee, which was created by a student vote in 2012, the Sustainability Fund gave out $161,000 in grant monies for the coming year. Grants are available to NC State students, faculty, and staff who submit proposals for sustainability projects that improve campus or promote awareness. All funded projects must be completed by July 1, 2017.